Whether we’re heading to New Mexico to set up a migration site or driving 300 miles to bring outreach programs to high schools in a remote corner of the Intermountain West, our staff spends a lot of time on the road. All that drive time leaves us with plenty of opportunities to binge-listen to our favorite science podcasts. I surveyed our team to get their top picks for the incurably curious hawkwatchers who are always looking to learn something new.
I’ve rated our top ten picks on two scales: science tone from academic to informal, and social tone from not safe for work (NSFW) to kid-friendly. Academic podcasts have an instructional tone and are best for listeners who have some science background, while informal podcasts have a casual tone that is easy for anyone to understand. Our NSFW selections mostly fall into that end of the scale due to cursing, but occasionally they also discuss very adult topics that might not be appealing to everyone. Kid-friendly picks are safe to listen to with little passengers in the car and are generally shorter and lighter in tone.
The OG: Radiolab
Why We Like It
Airing since 2002, Radiolab has over 570 episodes exploring everything from why time seems to slow when you’re falling to whether or not forests are intelligent. For many, Radiolab was their first introduction to science communication for the masses. The show has high production values and a unique audio design that makes the hour-long episodes fly by.
Best For…
Everyone! With a knack for making complicated science easy to understand, Radiolab is an easy listen for just about everyone, though some topics may be a little complex or intense for younger children. Because Radiolab is broadcast on NPR, there is no cursing, and topics are generally pretty tame.
Recommended Episode
New listeners should try Colors, an episode first broadcast in 2012. In this award-winning episode, the podcast uses a choir to replicate how different organisms experience the world of color.
The Best for Birders: The Science of Birds
Why We Like It
Most birding podcasts consist of an hour of birders exchanging their eBird lists from the week. While there is certainly a place for that, The Science of Birds dives deeper into ornithology with host Ivan Phillipsen, a naturalist guide with a background in scientific research. The 100+ episodes range from deep dives into specific species to explorations of bird behavior, anatomy, and taxonomy. You’ll either love Phillipsen’s dad jokes or hate them, but no matter what, even the most avid bird nerd will learn something new.
Best For…
Bird lovers of all ages who don’t mind cheesy jokes. While the Science of Birds is family-friendly, it can get into some deep science that pushes it towards the academic side of the science tone axis.
Recommended Episode
Tracking Methods: How We Know Where Birds Go is a great entry point for HawkWatch International fans who have ever been curious about how we and other scientists use transmitters in our work.
Best Exploration of Taboo Topics: Science Vs.
Why We Like It
Host Wendy Zukerman and her crack team of fact-checkers tackle every possible topic in this occasionally raunchy podcast from Spotify. Science Vs. covers issues as serious as police shootings and as lighthearted as ghosts. A typical episode has over 100 citations, making Science Vs. the ultimate way to prove your point to that one friend who is convinced aliens built the pyramids.
Best For…
Adults who love deep dives into a specific topic and don’t mind a lot of cursing along the way. Science Vs. is not safe for kids, but older teens with cool parents who are okay acknowledging the existence of sex will likely feel super mature when they listen to it.
Recommended Episode
GMO . . . OMG? This episode presents the most balanced take on a hot-button topic I’ve ever heard. Zukerman interviews multiple scientists to get to the bottom of the potential health and environmental impacts (or lack thereof) of GMOs.
Best at Humanizing Scientists: Ologies
Why We Like It
Have you ever wondered what scientists are like outside of a stuffy lecture hall or densely worded scholarly article? If so, Ologies is the perfect podcast to see the human beings behind the big words and fancy degrees. Host Alie Ward feels like a gossipy best friend, introducing you to someone new each episode. Her humor and enthusiasm for every guest is contagious, and her asides can be side-splittingly funny.
Best For…
Anyone who is curious about what day-to-day life looks like for all kinds of science professionals. Ologies falls towards the NSFW end of the matrix for language, but Ward and her team are kind enough to provide bleeped episodes on their website, so even those who prefer their science with less colorful language can partake. What’s more, you can also find Smologies, edited episodes that are designed to appeal to kids.
Recommended Episode
Condorology with Dr. Jonathan C. Hall Dr. Hall monitors California Condor populations, so this is a great entry point for raptor lovers or anyone who finds scavengers fascinating. This episode is part of a series of spooky topics (spider webs, bones, witchcraft) that Ward publishes every October to celebrate Halloween.
Best for Family Listening: Wow in the World
Why We Like It
A self-described “cartoon for the ears,” Wow in the World is a science podcast for kids that is entertaining and interesting enough to captivate the adults in the room as well. High production values and sound design bring science stories to life, and the mysteries the show investigates range from why a mammoth tusk was at the bottom of the ocean to whether or not rats like being tickled.
Best For…
Kids or kids-at-heart who are curious about the who, what, how, why, and when of the world around them. The show is ideal for ages 3-9, but older folks who can tolerate a lot of silliness, a plethora of sound effects, and the jubilant enthusiasm of hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz will find themselves smiling while learning something new.
Recommended Episode
The Great Salt Lake This episode explores one of the most important ecological and economic centers in HawkWatch International’s home state of Utah. You’ll learn how this super-salty lake has become home to one of the world’s largest aquaculture industries despite being so salty that most marine life can’t survive here.
Best for True-Crime Addicts: Tooth and Claw
Why We Like It
Hosted by bear biologist and former HWI technician Wes Larson and his brother, each episode of Tooth and Claw explores the science behind wild animal attacks. Wes’ biology and animal behavior background provides insight into these grim encounters, while his co-host’s everyman reactions to the stories make them accessible to most audiences.
Best For…
People who aren’t squeamish about the violent side of nature. Wes and his co-hosts aren’t gratuitous in their descriptions of animal attacks, but they do go into some details that might be hard for sensitive listeners. In addition to the occasional gory details, the show does have cursing and occasional off-color jokes, so it’s best for teens and adults.
Recommended Episode
Juliane of the Jungle This episode marks a departure from the normal narrative of a specific animal attack, which is why it might be a good starting point for those who want a tamer introduction to the show. Instead, Wes tells the amazing survival story of Juliane Koepcke, the survivor of a 1971 plane crash over the Amazon rainforest. The narrative is so riveting that it makes the hour-and-a-half play time fly by.
Honorable Mentions
Best Deep Dives in 30 Minutes or Less: Unexplainable
This podcast from Vox Media attempts to answer unanswerable questions like, “What did dinosaurs really sound like?” and “Why are food allergies on the rise?” With tight editing keeping episodes short and sweet and nary a curse to be found, this one is a good listen for almost anyone.
Best for Ecology Nerds: The Wild with Chris Morgan
Focusing on both natural science and the people who apply it to protect wild things and places, this podcast is a fascinating exploration of ecology from the micro to the macro. Episodes are free of curse words, and topics are generally family-friendly. The discussion, however, tends towards the academic, so the show is better suited to listeners with a little science background under their belts.
Putting Podcasts to the Test
We’re only scratching the surface of all the great science content out there. There aren’t enough hours in the day to listen to it all, so we have some tips for ensuring you don’t waste your time searching for your next favorite show.
- Check for fact-checkers: Good science communicators pride themselves on accuracy and will strive to represent the most current scientific consensus on any given topic. Fact-checking isn’t cheap, but podcasters who take science seriously will employ someone specifically for the task or do the work themselves.
- Cite the citations: Citations go hand-in-hand with fact-checking. A good science communicator will not only name their sources, but they will also provide transcripts or show notes with a complete list you can investigate yourself.
- Hosts that know when to say they don’t know: A sure sign that someone doesn’t value science is absolute certainty. Science is continuously evolving, and a mark of someone who
This blog was written by Melissa Halvorsen, HWI’s Education and Outreach Director. You can learn more about Melissa here.
